October 21, 2009

by Kelly Beggs

Davidson College will welcome students' parents and family members to Family Weekend from Friday, Oct. 23, to Sunday, Oct. 25. The weekend will include Fall Convocation, classroom experiences, theatrical and musical performances, conversations with faculty and staff, and athletic events.

Events will begin in the classroom at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, when parents can attend either "Making the Most of College and Careers" or see a "Chemistry Magic Show" hosted by the student members of the American Chemical Society.

President Tom Ross will present a "State of the College" address from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union. He will be joined by members of the college's Principal Executive Staff. Immediately following the president's address, faculty members from each academic department will host receptions for students and family members at various locations in the Alvarez College Union from 5 to 6 p.m.

There are a variety of fine arts performances throughout the weekend. A "Music Department Showcase" will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday in Davidson College Presbyterian Church, featuring the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir. At 10 p.m. the Jazz Ensemble will perform in the Alvarez College Union.

The theatre department's fall production of Molière's Tartuffe, a provocative French comedy directed by Davidson professor Ann Marie Costa, will be performed in Duke Family Performance Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon in the Duke Family Performance Hall.

Saturday at 10:30 a.m., faculty and students in the Class of 2010 will march in academic regalia to Fall Convocation in the Duke Family Performance Hall. The ceremony will honor outstanding students and faculty with the Goodwin-Exxon Awards, the Alumni Association Award, the Boswell Family Faculty Fellowship, and the Thomas Jefferson Award. President Emeritus and Thatcher Professor Emeritus of Religion John Kuykendall '59 will receive an honorary degree and deliver the convocation address. As student-body president at Davidson, Kuykendall established the Honor Council. This year, Davidson observes the Celebration of Honor and Integrity, which marks 100 years of a student-run honor system at the college and 50 years of the Honor Council.

Following Convocation, Davidson students from around the world will share their cultures through displays, performances, and food at the International Festival from noon to 3 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union.
A "Music and Dance Extravaganza" will follow at 4 p.m. on the front lawn of Chambers Building. The event features the Dance Ensemble, Davidson's step team Shades of Brown, and a cappella groups the Generals, the Delilahs, and Androgyny.

Athletic highlights of the weekend include men's soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and football.

For a full schedule of Family Weekend events, click here. For a schedule of other activities in the Town of Davidson this weekend, visit the community calendar on www.davidsonnews.net.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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